Process and apparatus for the texturing of yarns and the like



Sept. 3,l 1968 G, THOMA ET AL. 3,399,521

Sept. 3, 1968 @THOMA ET Al. 3,399,521

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR THE TEXTURING OF YARNS AND THE LIKE Filed July7, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q fi 1% ,.15

Georg Thoma Gerhard Wursf' .Hermann Geisf INVENTORS.

sept. 3, 1968 GTHOMA ET AL 3,399,521

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR THE TEXT'URING OF' YARNS AND THE LIKE FiledJuly '7, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Georg Thoma erhard Wurs? Hermann (5e/sfINVENTORS.

United States Patent 12 claims. (ci. 57-35) ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSUREMethod of and apparatus for texturing a yarn wherein a relativelyindestructible thread of cotton, flax, wool or silk is twisted with adestructible thread, the twisted threads being treated with syntheticresin to fix the indestructible thread and prevent relaxation thereofupon the destruction by solvent or mechanical breakup of thedestructible thread.

The invention relates to a process and apparatus for the texturing ofyarns, in which an auxiliary thread is fixed to the thread to betextured and is subsequently removed.

By texturing is meant, in the sense of the invention, a change in thestructure of the yarn by crimping and the like, in order thus to givethe yarn an increased elastic extensibility and particularly an increasein volume or bulk. Such texturing can be produced by mechanical,chemical and thermal means, either alone or in combination with oneanother.

In practice, up till now texturing is undertaken, especially with fulland semi-synthetic yarns, with the aid of, for example, the mis-matchedtwist method, upsetting chamber and the like. In most yarn texturingprocesses the curves or other distortions applied to the smooth yarn arefixed thermally. Also for yarns, threads or twines from natural fibers(for example cotton) some methods are known, by means of which texturingis supposedly possible, with the aim of inducing in these yarns anincrease in their normal stretch as well as an increase in their volume(warp); thus providing for at least a socalled structural distortion,for example in the form of fixed-in loops or in the manner of crepewebs.

-In one of these processes cotton yarns of increased elasticity areproduced by the treatment of high-twist yarns with cross-linkedartificial resins, heat-setting the yarn in this high-twist condition,and subsequent slackening. By this method yarns are supposed to remainin spiral or crimped form.

A texturing process based upon chemical modification is also known. Inthis process cotton is made thermoplastic by the conversion of celluloseinto ether or ester derivatives or by graft polymerisation. Thesechemically modified yarns are then heat-fixed during the various twistor crimp processes.

All these processes with the natural fibers lead however -to an increasein elasticity with respect to the texturing of full or semi-syntheticyarns of slight volume.

The object of the invention is the development of a texturing process aswell as a suitable apparatus for carrying out the process, by means ofwhich it is either possible in a simple way to texture yarns, threads,twines and the like of any desired composition or origin within theframework of controllable estimates, without having to make allowancefor the considerable limitations of known processes. In particular, thepurpose according to the invention extends to the texturing of yarns andthe like, of natural fibers, particularly of cotton.

For solving this problem, the invention starts with the basic idea offixing an auxiliary thread to the thread to be textured and thenremoving the auxiliary thread. A practicable solution for this basicidea has hitherto not been known.

The essence of the invention consists in the auxiliary thread beingtwisted with at least one thread to be textured, before fixing orsetting and after the fixing or setting to dissolve auxiliary threadfrom the twisted unit. For carrying out this basic idea there are,however, substantially two important variants in execution. In one it isnecessary for the auxiliary thread to consist of a soluble materialwhich can be dissolved out from the twist unit by means of a suitablesolvent. If the twist has previously been subjected to a correspondingfixing process, after the dissolving out of the one thread, the otherthread remains immune with respect to the solvent and in the formirnpressed upon it by twisting.

How this form in particular is obtained depends upon the twist structure(twists, yarn strength), of the material and the characteristic of theindividual threads brought together to be twisted and on the nature andintensity of the fixing. According to the invention, therefore, at leastone thread soluble in a solvent is twisted with one or more insolublethreads, so that the insoluble thread receives the foundation for itslater shaping (crimping or warping).

In the other embodiment of the invention, the auxiliary thread has afirmness or rigidity just enough to allow it to be twisted, and afterthe fixing is carried out, is broken by mechanical treatment of thetwist or o-f the product obtained, the auxiliary thread fragments beingthen removed. However, here too the twisting of the threads is anecessary prerequisite, in order to give the thread to be textured thedesired coils or loops requested for its stretch and warping, theseparation of which is only possible after the auxiliary thread has beenchemically or mechanically removed.

By altering the degree of twisting (number of speed of revolutions oftwist) an alteration in warping may be obtained.

The warping also depends on the reciprocal cross-section behavior of thethreads arriving for twisting. At the same time this process isapplicable not only to double twists, but also to triple and multipletwists. It is merely important that of the yarns being twisted togetherone yarn portion must be removable.

This twist produced in the customary fashion is fixed within theframework of the preferred example of execution and subsequentlysubjected to treatment by solvents. This treatment has the consequencethat the soluble auxiliary thread is dissolved out of or removed fromthe twist unit and that only a single or a plurality of threads remainimmune to the solvent. The threads, thus remaining unaffected by thesolvent, can now enter the space left free by the removed auxiliarythread being eliminated and remain therein, which results in astructural warping and an increased elasticity by virtue of a looseningof the thread structure.

Within the scope of advantageous developments of the invention a numberof modifications are possible. One advantage according to the invention,is Ithe removal of the auxiliary thread, for example lby treatment -witha solvent, immediately after effecting the fixing process in the yarn.It is also advantageous to effect this treatment on the surface of thetwisted and, if necessary, fixed yarn. At the same time the twisted yarnis first processed into a texture, a weft, a web and the like, and onlyafter the fixing and the treatment with a solvent or with a mechanicalapparatus is treated in one piece.

These processes directed to the fixing and chemical dissolution may,according to the invention, Ibe advantageously carried out, withmachines, such as are for example used for chemical cleaning andfinishing. By means of such devices it is also possible to remove thenon-soluble yarns or surfaces from the solvent by rinsing, spinning anddrying. It is, however, irrelevant whether the finished or half-finishedproduct or the strand or the coil winding is treated in the apparatus.According to the invention it is merely essential for machines, knownfor other purposes, to be used for the process here described.

Within the framework of the invention it has further proved to beadvantageous to effect the yfixing simultaneously with the twistingoperation, especially as it is possible to combine this fixing processwith the previously known twisting processes.

In one embodiment of the invention the soluble auxiliary threads, yarnsor twists, are composed for example of cellulose, rayon staple, acetateor other cellulose derivatives, alginates, polyvinyalcohols or ofpolyamides.

It is of particular importance that such yarns produced according to theinvention from cotton and the like should not lose stretch or elasticityor only lose their stretch or elasticity to a minimal degree, in thecourse of time; this represents a considerable improvement over knowntexturing processes for natural yarns, for example, by means oftensionless mercerisation.

According to the invention, not only yarns from cotton, but also yarnsfrom, for example synthetic material, flax, linen, wool, silk or mineralsubstances such as asbestos and mixtures of any desired kind can betextured. The invention provides also :for a mixed yarn being twistedand fixed with the auxiliary thread and subjected to mechanicaltreatment or treatment with a sol-vent. In another embodiment thetextured yarn from which the auxiliary thread has been removed isprocessed with threads of another composition into a mixed yarn. In thisway the particular advantages of each component of the mixed yarn may becombined and a novel,.textured yarn of superior quality is produced, themixture of threads from -wool and cotton of which with syntheticmaterial, according to the invention, affords particular advantages.

Particularly advantageous, according to the invention, is the fact thatthreads spun from fiber mixtures can be textured, the character andcomposition of which can be chosen as desired. This applies particularlyto mixtures of mineral and animal fibers with full or semi-syntheticfibers or threads, and which until now were not considered as beingadequately or substantially capable of being textured.

According to the invention it is possible to texture yarns from theconsiderably varying substances, which until now were not considered as-being capable of satisfactory texturing; the invention can be appliedalso as the initial process for obtaining special textile effects, whichowing to their variety are not enumerated here. For example, attentionis drawn to the fact that, according to the invention, it has provedadvantageous to twist the auxiliary thread as a supporting threadthrough one or the other threads in a known manner, so that the threads,which resist mechanical or solvent treatment, later exhibit thedimensional shape of a sheath twist with out a core. Furthermore,according to the invention, attention is drawn to the advantageousimprovement whereby, apart from the auxiliary thread to be removed, atleast one thread remaining in the yarn can be provided crosswise in Sand Z turn. In this manner it is possible, for example, in the case ofcotton yarns to achieve the same or similar warping effects, which havealready been known until now only in completely synthetic andsemisynthetic threads or yarns.

Another object of the invention is the apparatus for carrying out the`fixing and removal of the auxiliary thread from the twisted yarn. Inone embodiment the invention is characterized by the provision of acontainer to be filled with sol-vent for the reception or passage of theyarn or the piece goods produced from it and the provision of a dryingapparatus for drying of the product treated with the solvent and finallyby providing a recovery vessel for the material dissolved from the yarn.Advantageously, the fixing apparatus may be previously secured to thesolvent container in which apparatus the twisting present in the yarncan be set.

An advantageous development is made possible by the application of acontinuously working device, consisting of an impregnating coloringmachine, a pre-dryer, a fixing device, one or more solvent containers, afinishing v`bath and a drying device in conjunction with known conveyingmeans for the continuous transport of the yarn or the piece goods.

' In a discontinuously working installation the apparatus according tothe invention preferably consists of a rotatable container for the yarnor the product made therefrom, which is connected to a solvent containervia a pump and to a heater via a blower; in the solvent circuit afiltering device and a distillation device are advantageously provided.

As the apparatus according to the invention may be constructed in anumber of modifications, it is not possible to mention here all theadvantageous embodiments. So as substantially to characterise theessence of the invention the following, among many examples are givenbelow.

Example 1 A thread of 21/2 acetate, deniers 400, is twisted with acotton thread No. 48. The twist so received is treated with a knownsynthetic resin preparation, which, for example, contains 40 grams/literof .a Water-soluble synthetic resin capable of hardening, grams of Ureol(WZ) and 20 grams of a grip-inducing substance such as 6.5 grams/literof 40% acetic acid, and 3 grams/liter of ammonium sulphate. With thissolution the cotton is coldmpregnated and squeezed out. Subsequently, itis dried and the synthetic resin preparation hardened for about fiveminutes at 175 C.

After this fixing process the yarn is treated with acetone, whereby the'acetate thread is dissolved and only the twisted and fixed cottonremains. As soon as the solvent is removed and the remaining cotton yarnis dried the cotton exhibits a high warping property with considerableelastic stretch.

Example 2 A textured twist of cotton, consisting of one thread in an`S-twist and one in a Z-twist position is subsequently twisted togetherby a texturing process with a smooth thread of wool, not yet treatedwith respect to volume, stretch and elasticity. The twist thus obtainedhas its component of the textured cotton a large volume, an increasedstretch and good elasticity. The further fed-in wool on the other handensures for the so-combined twist the capcity of retaining warmth andthickness inherent in wool.

Example 3 At least one spun thread from a fiber mixture of wool and 35%of a polyamide-based synthetic material is twisted with an acetatethread. The thread is processed (Le. by weaving) as a warp and/or Woofto a surface area (textile) and fixed in this condition. Afterwards the.acetate thread is dissolved with acetone.

In the accompanying drawing the invention is diagrammaticallyillustrated by way of example in which:

FIGURES l and 2 are diagrammatic views of a simple twist on an enlargedscale, of a cotton thread and an acetate auxiliary thread in differenttwist structures before the dissolution process:

FIGURE 3 is a view of the textured thread according to FIGURE 2 afterthe dissolution process;

FIGURES 4 and 5 show a cross-twisted thread structure, before and afterthe dissolution process respectively;

FIGURE 6 is a diagrammatic view of a continuously operating treatmentplant for fixing and removing the thread;

FIGURE 7 is a diagrammatic view of a discontinuously operating treatmentplant for fixing and removing the thread; and

FIGURE 8 is a side view of a mechanical device for the removal of theauxiliary thread.

In the embodiment of FIGURES 1 and 2, an auxiliary thread, 1 of solubleImaterial is twisted with a second thread 2 to be textured, whereby thethread 2 to be textured may uniformly be wound around the solubleauxiliary thread 1 (FIG. 2) or may be twisted together therewith (FIG.1).

The auxiliary thread 1 may, for example, consist of cellulose, staplefibers, cellulose derivatives, alginates, polyvinylalcohols, polyamidesand like chemically soluble substances, while thread 2 consists ofcotton or other natural yarns. However, fiax, linen, wool, mineralsubstances and mixtures of any kind, as well as fundamentally full andsemi-synthetic endless types and also fiber yarns of any kind are alsosuitable.

The yarn twisted according to FIGURE l is xed until the auxiliary threadis completely dissolved in known manner by treatment with a chemicalsolvent. Suitable solvents are known in practice. There remains theformerly twisted and now crimped thread 2 as illustrated in FIGURE 3,which is solvent-resistant. Due to the twist fixing the thread reacts totension in the manner of a tension spring, as the turns tend, after theelimination of the load, to assume the normal position as illustrated inFIGURE 3.

In the embodiment of FIGURES 4 and 5, two insoluble threads 2 and 21 aretwisted crosswise around the auxiliary thread 1 and fixed; thereafterthe thread 1 is chemically dissolved.

In all embodiments it is essential that the removable auxiliary thread,during twisting and fixing, provide a support for the shaping of theinsoluble thread and is eliminated by the removal process. The remainingthread may then move into the space originally occupied by the auxiliarythread if it is repeatedly stretched.

FIGURE 6 shows diagrammatically a continuously operating apparatus forxing and separating the twisted yarns, in which these threads may firstbe passed through an impregnating coloring device 3 containing asynthetic resin dye. The impregnated yarn, 1, 2 is passed through thepre-dryer 4 and the fixing compartment 5, in which the impregnation withsynthetic resin is completed.V Subsequently the yarn is advantageouslypassed through several solvent baths 6 for dissolving the auxiliarythread 1 and finally through a finishing bath 7. The pressure rollers 8press the liquid out of the thread and pass it on to work stations, notillustrated. The solvent contained in the containers 6 is frequentlyand/or constantly recirculated by means of a pump 9 and passed through afilter 10 with a distillation recovery device, in order to free theremaining threads and the dissolved material from the solvent.

The apparatus according to FIGURE 7 serves for discontinuous treatmentof the yarn or surface structures produced therefrom, for example,textiles, tissues, knits. The product to be treated is passed into arotary liquidpermeable drum 11. This drum 11 is surrounded by a liquidtight container 12, which, as iin a chemical oleaning machine isconnected to various cycle systems. The system may include the fixingprocess with a synthetic resin impregnation, which is discharged from acontainer 13 into the container 12 and returned by the pump 14.Furthermore, a drying circulation with fresh air intake, a heater 16,ventilator 17 and cooler 18, are advantageously provided.

Finally, the solvent found in the container 19 'is returned by the pump20. In this cycle a distillation recovery device 21 'having a filter maybe inserted. It is therefore desirable, to place this device paralleltoit and to start operation when the product is being dried and fixed. -Itwill -be understood that all the processes have not to be carried outone directly after the other in the one apparatus. The machines may beprovided as separate units.

In the embodiment -according to FIGURE 8 the manner in which themechanical removal of the auxiliary thread 1 from the twisted unit 1, 2may be carried out is shown. The twists 1, 2, are in this embodimentproduced from a mechanically, easily destructible auxiliary thread 1 andthe thread to Ibe textured, both having been fixed previously to beingtwisted. lDuring their passage through a mechanical treatment apparatus,which according to FIGURE 8 is formed by a meshing pair of cog wheels22, 23, the twists 1 and 2 are worked in such manner that the preferablyvery thin and cheap auxiliary thread 1, which is shredded bit 4'by bit,while the thread is textured, as a result of its windings may withstandmechanical treatment. After passage through the pair of cog wheels 22,23, the textured, highly elastic and distended thread 2 of any kind ofmaterial remains.

We claim:

1. A method of texturing a yarn comprising the steps of twisting `atleast one relatively indestructible thread and at least one destructiblethread; fixing the twisted threads by a setting treatment `to preventrelaxation of said relatively indestructible thread; and destroying saidrelatively destructible thread to leave said relatively indestructiblethread in substantially its originally twisted condition.

2. The method defined in claim 1 wherein said relatively indestructiblethread is composed, at least in part, of nonsynthetic fiber, 4the fixingof the twisted threads being carried out by treating said relativelyindestructible thread with a synthetic resin.

3. The method defined in claim 2 wherein said relatively destructiblethread is more brittle than said relatively indestructible thread, thedestructible thread being removed Iby breaking up said -destructiblethread.

4. The method defined in claim 3 wherein said destructible thread isbroken up by passing the twisted fixed threads between a pair of meshingtoothed wheels.

5. The method 4defined in claim 2 wherein said relatively `destructiblethread is soluble in a solvent and said relatively indestructible threadis insoluble in said solvent, the removal of said destructible threadbeing carried out by treating the twisted fixed threads with saidsolvent.

6. The method defined in claim 5 wherein said twisted threads are formedas a yarn into a falbric, the removal of said `destructible threadIbeing carried out by treating said fabric with said solvent.

7. The method defined in claim 6 wherein said indestructible thread iscomposed of cotton.

8. The method -dfined in claim 7 wherein said destructible thread iscomposed of an acetate and said solvent is acetone.

9. An apparatus for tex-turing a yarn, comprising means for twisting atleast one relatively flexible indestructible thread and at least onerelatively brittle destructible thread, means lfor fixing the twistedthreads to prevent relaxation of the indestructible thread, a pair ofmeshing toothed wheels, land means for passing the twisted fixed threadsbetween said meshing toothed wheels for 'breaking up said relativelydestructible thread to remove same from the twist.

10. The method defined in claim 6 'wherein said indestructible thread iscomposed of flax.

11. The method defined in claim 6 wherein said indestructible thread iscompose-d of wool.

12. The method defined in claim 6 wherein said indestructible thread iscomposed of silk.

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